Cosmic Myths

Robert Patrick7/24/17 – 8/20/17

Artist Statement:

I paint fantasy environments as metaphors for landscapes of the mind. This world view is a product of combining senses shaped not only by light, but by sounds, smells, touch and taste. These synthesized perceptions are understood and translated through a personal language of biomorphic symbols.

My painting surfaces are large custom made canvas tarpaulins secured to walls through grommets around their perimeters. This creates a hard backing to the canvas for a muralist painting experience and a flatness that emphasizes area rather than object when exhibited. I use smaller brushes in order to grow the image through incremental paint strokes that are minute relative to the painting surface. This slow building allows for thinking and feelings to evolve during the visual making process.

Of profound interest to me is how painting functions as a means of expression. Communicating personal perception requires that my organic symbol language contains references to shared human conditions even if understood only viscerally. I explore archetypal clues evoked visually that are recognizable irrespective of history or culture, an imagery that arises not merely from a nature we perceive but from the nature we are.